The True Story of Sound of Freedom 

Sources and links to resources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_of_Freedom_(film)#Connections_to_the_QAnon_conspiracy_theory variety.com/2023/film/news/angel-studios-sounds-of-freedom-2023-release-jim-caviezel-1235569196/ www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/07/07/sound-of-freedom-qanon-theories-jim-caviezel/ www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/07/president-trumps-fantastical-human-trafficking-claims/ twitter.com/TimBallard/status/1282535670104219648 www.deseret.com/utah/2023/5/12/23717081/davis-county-attorneys-office-closes-investigation-into-operation-underground-railroad www.cbsnews.com/news/one-mans-mission-to-rescue-child-sex-trafficking-victims/ www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-168-kids-rescued-281-pimps-nabbed-in-sex-trafficking-crackdown/ www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-16-juveniles-recovered-in-super-bowl-prostitution-sting/ www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sound_of_freedom ourrescue.org/blog/sound-of-freedom-based-on-true-story www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/sound-of-freedom/ www.angel.com/blog/angel-studios/posts/sound-of-freedom-true-story-discovering-the-truth-behind-the-movie heavy.com/news/sound-of-freedom-real-true-story/ www.vice.com/en/article/k7a3qw/a-famed-anti-sex-trafficking-group-has-a-problem-with-the-truth americancrimejournal.com/the-arrest-of-earl-venton-buchanan/ www.wistv.com/story/5142722/california-man-arrested-for-molesting-at-least-11-children/ www.thedailybeast.com/colombian-beauty-queen-arrested-for-running-child-prostitution-ring www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/haiti/stories-of-faith/ht-04-we-had-to-seek-god?lang=eng www.vice.com/en/article/bvxev5/inside-a-massive-anti-trafficking-charitys-blundering-overseas-missions www.vice.com/en/article/k7a3qw/a-famed-anti-sex-trafficking-group-has-a-problem-with-the-truth www.forbes.com/sites/yolarobert1/2019/06/13/meet-the-medium-who-helps-law-enforcement-solve-the-unsolvable/?sh=677d182152f7 heavy.com/news/vampiro-sound-of-freedom-real-true/ www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/109140/witnesses/HHRG-116-HM11-Wstate-BallardT-20190326.pdf nypost.com/2019/08/24/colombian-instagram-model-accused-of-running-child-sex-trafficking-ring/ (different from the one in the movie, point is it keeps happening) www.ice.gov/news/releases/hsi-special-agents-arrest-13-connection-alleged-international-sex-trafficking-and ministrywatch.com/sound-of-freedom-doesnt-tell-true-story-of-operation-underground-railroad/ thenazarenefund.org/rescue/ www.fordhamilj.org/iljonline/2018/01/16/the-crusade-against-international-sex-slavery-and-its-controversial-brothel-raids www.foxnews.com/opinion/ive-fought-sex-trafficking-as-a-dhs-special-agent-we-need-to-build-the-wall-for-the-children www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/sound-of-freedom-child-trafficking-experts-1234786352/ www.theguardian.com/news/2023/apr/27/how-facebook-and-instagram-became-marketplaces-for-child-sex-trafficking slate.com/human-interest/2021/05/sex-trafficking-raid-operation-underground-railroad.html foreignpolicy.com/2015/07/22/the-new-abolitionists-mexico-dominican-republic-human-trafficking-mormon-our/ www.jstor.org/stable/26638396?seq=1%2523metadata_info_tab_contents web.archive.org/web/20230708032128/www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/06/sound-of-freedom-movie-qanon-jim-caviezel web.archive.org/web/20230707171044/www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/jim-caviezel-pushes-qanon-bizarre-media-blitz-new-anti-trafficking-movie www.thedailybeast.com/jim-caviezels-qanon-guru-juan-savin-wants-to-control-elections www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/passion-of-the-christ-qanon-actor-b1945653.html www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html www.missingkids.org/ourwork/ncmecdata#bythenumbers www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jan/13/2021-was-worst-year-on-record-for-online-child-sex-abuse-says-iwf www.theguardian.com/society/2021/nov/13/fifteen-times-more-child-sexual-abuse-material-found-online-than-10-years-ago www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/ncvrw/2005/pg5l.html www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221020-2022-TIP-Report.pdf www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/new-ojp-resources en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_the_United_States#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20human,domestic%20citizens%20or%20foreign%20nationals. www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/07/15/the-adrenochrome-conspiracy-theory-pushed-by-sound-of-freedom-star-explained/?sh=5a7101065179 twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1678871786887290880?s=20 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_blood_transfusion www.cbp.gov/border-security/human-trafficking www.missingkids.org/theissues/trafficking www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/BC-Indicator-Card_ENGLISH%20508.pdf antitraffickingreview.org/index.php/atrjournal/article/view/621/474 www.missingkids.org/ ovc.ojp.gov/funding/awards/15povc-21-gg-04206-ht www.missingkids.org/ourwork/ncmecdata#bythenumbers www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/ncvrw/2005/pg5l.html www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20221020-2022-TIP-Report.pdf www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/new-ojp-resources www.cbp.gov/border-security/human-trafficking www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/BC-Indicator-Card_ENGLISH%20508.pdf safehavenshelter.org/ www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/BC-Indicator-Card_ENGLISH%20508.pdf

I work with sex trafficking victims. People don’t understand what it actually is and how widespread either. The fact that this has become political is so stupid. “Trafficking is terrible” should be something that we can all get behind.

i think what alot of people dont realize about child sex trafficking is that most children who are trafficked are trafficked by people they know, namely close family members. these sorts of things happen as well of course, and there is most definitely a network of wealthy criminals who benefit of off impoverished families in 3rd world countries, but admitting that sometimes its the childrens own parents who may be trafficking their children is something that most people may find hard to acknowledge or even think about…

My grandma was almost trafficked when she was a teenager. People were coming by knocking door to door and offering nursing volunteer opportunities for teens and my great grandma didn’t see anything wrong with it so she let my grandma go with them. Luckily they stopped near by to get something to eat and offered my grandma a soda. My grandma was getting a weird feeling about it and she ran out and ran all the way back home. This was in Colombia

Hi, Honduran here. The amount of families selling their children in our country because of the large amount of poverty is huge. The saddest thing is when they give away their children (not selling the children like in some cases) thinking they will have a better life with their new adoptive parents (usually from the US and/ or other foreign countries) just for their children to end up in a child trafficking ring. Other cases are when teens get pregnant and abandon their children inside dumpsters or hospitals because they don't have money to sustain themselves therefore they can't sustain a child. Some organizations rescue these children but most are not lucky especially when they either leave this world too soon or they fall in the wrong hands.

As someone who's been living in South Africa for the past 13 years, I can tell you that yes, absolutely, there are Sangomas (traditional healers/witch doctors) that will use human organs, bones, blood, whatever to make their Muthi (medicine), so I have zero doubt that the same thing goes on in West Africa.

I spent 4 years working with the Department of Children Services. 80% of my therapy patients were children sexually abused. Some were trafficked. Some not. After 4 years, my secondary trauma was so bad I was struggling to parent my own kids without constant nightmares of what could happen to them. More recently, I did a podcast with @BenjaminABoyce regarding the attempt by sexologists to classify pedophilia as a sexual orientation. My research for that podcast had me unable to sleep for nearly 2 weeks straight. It is heavy, heavy information. Please take care of yourselves. You did a very good job of being honest about what was opinion versus fact and staying apolitical. You did a balanced job of criticizing what needed to be criticized.

It's insane that you can talk for 1 hour and 30 minutes on every subject, these are some mad communication skills. Keep up the good work.

thank you for making this aidan, recently my sister who was working at a hotel where 2 16 year old girls(my sister was 16 at the time aswell) were being sex trafficed with help of her boss. my sister is one of those people who worries about everything and was watching videos about the signs of human traffiicking and told my mom who told the police, thankfully nothing happened to her and the 2 girls were saved, aswell as the the boss and the 2 guys who were holding the girls were arrested. we need more stuff like this talking about the signs of trafficking, because it does help,

Its so gross how politicized stuff is. Things cant just exist anymore. People cant step outside their house without putting on their ideological goggles.

As someone who grew up in southern Alabama, near the boarder of Georgia and Florida, I can tell you that the truth of trafficking is taught to a lot of young people here. My town is on route from Atlanta to Miami and girls will be picked up and never be seen again. It's real and scary shit.

Speaking as a trained Advocate, you did a brilliant job. Thank you very much.

Thank you for sticking your neck out on covering such an important topic. Apparently the comment section is divided on this, but I’m excited to see how you cover this. You rock; plural Aidan.

Already over $1000 donated to NCMEC, truly doing God's work here guys!

As a former private investigator I THANK YOU so much for covering this! I worked on many missing children cases. The things that you see, the people you have to deal with, it takes quite a toll on you. I'm so glad that this film was finally released and people's eyes have been opened. Again thanks for sticking your neck out and doing all your research, this video is brilliant 👏🏽

Wait, Tim Ballard's methods of saving kids is traumatic for them? As if them being traumatized from bring trafficked wasn't already a problem? That's just silly.

"he traumatized victims" Call me crazy, but i think that the trafficking did that first

This is probably a weird place to put this, but I was a victim of child predators. I want to thank you, Aiden, for covering this topic. The unfortunate reality is, not talking about this stuff only benefits the predators. When I was in the midst of it, I didnt feel like I could say anything. If I did, maybe some justice could've happened. But now, I'll never know what actually happened to my abusers, if anything. No child, or adult, should ever have to go through sexual assault or human trafficking. This kind of stuff leaves mental scars that take a lifetime to heal. It fucks with your brain, completely breaks your perception of reality. Its a nightmare, and the only way to beat this problem is to drag it out into the light.

So Im not casting doubt on human trafficking being very real or a horrible thing, but I would really recommend looking back into Tim Ballard; he's now been excommunicated from the Mormon church and credibly accused by five former coworkers of using supposed undercover tactics to sexually assault them. O.U.R. was (is?) also using the man who wrote/inspired the book Visions of Glory as a counselor for abuse victims. That book inspired Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell to, among other things, murder two children and two adults, as well as inspiring Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, who were recently convicted of four counts each of child abuse. Tim Ballard is also in an extremist doomsday branch of Mormonism and was using ketamine trips to supposedly channel visions from Mormon prophets. Yes, human trafficking needs more attention. Yes, victims deserve to be rescued. No, Tim Ballard should not be in any way celebrated or centered in this discussion, and its awful in the extreme that he is connected in any way to this topic.

Honestly any criticism that is levied against OUR is absurd. They fucking rescued victims but they deserve to get criticized because they don’t literally have a shelter? Should they get criticized when someone they rescued dies 20 years later? Because they didn’t take care of them? You should be able to see thru this, there is no nuance here, they are doing good, it doesn’t matter if they didn’t do the best or if they did it in an inefficient way. It also doesn’t matter if they “traumatized” someone by literally saving their life. It literally hurts to see any of this being repeated or claimed to be justified. If they save even one child. You said it yourself, one kid is too many. Sure they can improve but to try to say that they’ve done wrong is fucking outrageous.

As a truck driver we have an organization to call TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING (TAT). IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS YOU CAN CALL AND THEY WILL SEND POLICE TO THE LOCATION

I'm not much of a commenter, but.. you killed it. You're earnestness, passion, and honesty are all clear in here. Really, great work!

Something I forgot to mention in my earlier long reply is that whenever you mentioned something OUR did wrong I had to think "That's it?" I've been told that I need to respect the Red Cross (who used millions of dollars to build six houses in Haiti) and the UN peacekeepers (who are mired in multiple sexual abuse scandals) despite their flaws. Occasional exaggeration and flaws with their associates are very minor by comparison. (Also, if having weird beliefs disqualifies you from starring in a good movie, someone needs to inform Tom Cruise.)

I think Jim C has also initiated the Q issue. I mean he has straight up “ Donald Trump is the Moses that will save the children.” He as the star perpetuating the narrative of the kabal.

To sum up, this is a movie that is based on a true story that is about as true as any random Hollywood movie based on a true story; true events mixed in with embellishments that help create a story narrative. Underground Railroad (of Tim Ballard), makes mistakes and could do some things differently if they haven't already. They do work with official government and other organizations, but because of the underground portion of their work what and how much is not going to be fully known. The movie should have described more common forms of trafficking, such as people who already know the person selling them. Child trafficking is a serious issue, but dealing with it can only happen if politics (for both sides) is put aside.

Silence has long been the protagonist of all forms of abuse and oppression. I can attest that children are most often hurt the worst by those who are supposed to keep them safe. Thank you for using your platform as a voice for those who have none.

Never before have I seen a "based on real events" movie that had to explain that some events were fictionalized to be more interesting or impactful to the audience.

This is a very well done video and the way you encourage people to do their own research and stress towards the end how important it is we come together no matter our view on the movie is so so true. Thank you for putting together one of the heavest videos you will probably ever do.

It seems like a lot of the criticism is "if you aren't going to do it perfectly, don't do it at all". I can kind of understand that mindset when the stakes are this high. At the same time, if I were a victim, I don't know that there is any amount of potential failure that would make not trying to rescue me forgivable.

trafficking isn't just into the US though. there are also children being trafficked/smuggled out of the US and within the borders of the US as well. Ballard's claim of children being trafficked into the US may have included all three of these categories, potentially making it an issue of him not speaking precisely enough, rather than one of him lying or exaggerating. ALSO, "exploited" doesnt necessarily mean sexual. it can include labor as well, as you pointed out in a different part of this video.

Taking a nuanced look at something is so much more productive than what the majority of people are out there doing and you did great.

Not gonna lie I feel like youre giving too much good credit to people who clearly are loons who dont really care about the shit they preach about. You say theyre having their good nature used by others but like come on, this guy is a fully grown adult not a naive child. Again, i admire you wanting to see the good in people but not calling out stuff like what Jim was doing as what it is and giving them the benefit of the doubt is incredibly dangerous, especially considering your platform. Even when you were ripping into Vice, while i loved it because Vice as well as a bunch of media outlets nowadays are complete jokes, it felt a bit like you were leaning into defending people who dont deserve to be defended just cause Vice specifically is the worst.

Sisters For Sale is an amazing documentary about Human Trafficking that actually IS a true story.

I didn't even know who OUR was until this video. If there was a malicious intent, why didn't they promote their organization using the film?

You did a great job covering this. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” hope this quote reassures you that although hard, the best thing you did here was speak out

This was a genuinely great video. My aunt does a lot of work with trafficking victims and just through her I've heard some of the most awful gut wrenching stories about these people's experiences. I'm a bit over two years in college with an undecided major, I think I'm going to ask her advice on what direction I should go with my education so I can do preventative work and victim support- it's something that I've thought about a decent bit before now- along with maybe pursuing a career in law enforcement, but I think that's off the table since I'm a very small woman with a whole lot of health conditions. but this video was a good push for me to make up my mind.

Let's face it.. most based on true story movies never say what liberties they claimed.. ever. ( Soo many liberties taken with historical movies.. like U157 )At end of day for me. Whatever bad facts might be there about tim.. this movie shines a huge spotlight on human trafficking .. specifically children. Which lets face it and call it what it is. Modern slavery. That thing people claim no longer exists. The more people that realise this is a thing the better. This is real it happens .

What makes things iffy for me is the fact that Ballard himself belongs to a religion with a history of trafficking and ongoing serious problems with child exploitation and - as a matter of regular practice - putting children in hazardous and inappropriate situations. There are, of course, bad people everywhere, but several facets of LDS culture enable and even protect predators. I don't know what's in Ballard's heart or how well informed he is, but it's easy to see as hypocritical, at least. Don't care about the silly nitpicks people have about the movie, the message is obviously admirable.

I used to believe that vice actually was doing good work in shining light on things that we would never have heard of. The past years have shown just how far they've gone off the rails. Also ANYBODY that is against someone helping kids can get the chipper too.

Well, I'm the idiot that decided to listen to this at work. That comment about the kid and coke to dull pain... that broke me. I spent a decade empowering abused kids and had to step out when my own was born. Thank you for this Aidan but I'll have to finish it later.

Jim Caviezel said the movie and QAnon aligned with each other on the Charlie Kirk show. That's where the QAnon thing came from.

oof. this one has me feeling weird. i was in another lore lounge comment section talking about this but this film is a slippery slope. i am glad to hear you’re anti-q anon and that you clarified some of your political beliefs, as a viewer i appreciate it and helps me see where you’re coming from. a few notes - mostly, i had an issue with dedicating like 30mins to an article you outright say is gobshite. it feels like a signal that these people who claim the film is flawed inside and outside of the actual movie are illegitimate. it seems to me that if you found the vice article to be insufficient and idiotic, why did you not move / find another article? the time dedicated to the vice article makes me feel like you’re letting your confirmation bias win - you /want/ all the things you believe already to be true and the vice article is low-hanging fruit to prove you right. and you /know/ vice is low-hanging fruit. - the brushing off of q-anon is incredibly disappointing. q-anon has taken the minds and by extension the lives of thousands in america [and weirdly in canada], ostracising our elderly who are filled that information. lives have been lost. - and one thing i do want to mention is the endorsement comments. people do not have to explicitly /say/ something to endorse it, there is such a thing as silent endorsement. the best example is politicians knowing prior to the trump era that saying “we want all the brown people out and dead” was not kocher, but you /can/ transmutate that into “we need to strengthen our borders.” i would recommend innuendo studios video on the issues i found in this video, i hope you take the time: m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0dBJIkp7qIg.html either way, thank you.

One, im the only person ive seen opposing this movie lol! Two, i only do it cuz if you do the slightest research on tim ballard, theres mercs who quit working with him cuz his tactics created demand for kids in areas where it wasnt present before he showed up. Waving huge stacks of cash and demanding kids. Pimps would start dealing in kids just to satisfy ballard. Also, these ppl took huge issue with him making it more about the production than the results. Real big on cameras and shit. Basically a televangelist. I have a huge problem with ppl blindly supporting him JUST cuz hes christian. How many of these figures are we gonna have to expose before ppl stop taking them at face value? Edit, thank fuck im not the only one. I felt like i was screaming into the void for weeks about this.

You spent way too much time talking down to VICE when literally no one said you have to use them as the source. You use Tim Pool but not any other person on the other end? The use the quotes of the guy and say “I’m just gonna believe him because at the end of the day kids get saved”. Sucks because you’re definitely smart but your religious beliefs are holding you back from seeing it for what it is.

“Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”

As someone who's not very political anymore and is not religious and who had the exact same opinion as you when you first watched the movie, I really appreciate how well you made this video and I think you did a great job being as unbiased as possible even though you yourself are religious. I don't think anyone could have done a better job than you making a video on this movie and general subject.

I was a mormon for 25 years, and I am still a part of a community that is overwhelmingly mormon. I have major hangups about Tim Ballard. Ballard is very concerned with trafficking and exploitation of children. However, he still supports an organization that violates those things. Mormon men are taught they need to serve a 2 year procilyting mission. They are sent out as young as 18, and until recently, they were not allowed cell phones. They were allowed to call home on holidays. Members were little help because this is the accepted culture around missions, and boys struggling need to toughen up. Now, some mission Presidents would take the passports of missionaries for "safe keeping". These 18 year old would be stuck in a foreign land with no way to contact help, and no way out. That sounds like trafficking to me. Another huge problem is that Mormon Bishops question children, as young as 12, about masterbation. Now Mormon bishops are laymen that are assigned to preside over the Church for about 4 years at a time. So you end up with your local dentist alone in a room asking your teenage daughter about her masterbation habits as a "worthiness interview". Recently there has been change, because of backlash, that parents can be present during worthiness interviews, but it is not really talked about, and 1 on 1 interviews are still prevalent. Now Sam Young spoke up about how wrong asking children sexual questions is, and he got excommunicated. The Mormon church has recently shown to be covering up abuse and helping abusers in an Arizona case. AP News covered the case where a man repeatedly raped his 3 daughters and confessed for 8 years and the Bishops was told not to call the police. Finally the FBI found the CP that the father was selling and arrested him. This is just one case of the church hiding and protecting abusers. For Tim Ballard, who has a platform and is extremely experienced in these things, to stay silent seems hypocritical.

If you're going to make a video about the controversy behind the entire movie then why didn't you touch on the controversies behind the lead actor for this movie?

Thank you for being brave. Trafficking and pedophiles need to be dealt with. I also get angry that so little is done or said about this issue.

I have enjoyed a good few videos on this channel, but this video is not one of them. Like too many people, Lore Lodge has made a connection between the movie and the issue of trafficking. Because trafficking is a serious issue, the movie is also serious. If you don't take the movie seriously, you obviously don't take the issue seriously. The implication is that you must be pro pedo if you don't think the movie is great. Which is something the video presenter has said before! If anyone wants to watch a less partial video about Sound of Freedom, I suggest the one by Fundie Fridays. It's kind of long-winded, but so is this, and the Fundie Fridays vid is the same length.

A few points. 1. It is absolutely reprehensible, repugnant, and unacceptable for anyone to ever politicize human trafficking, ESPECIALLY of children. 2. I personally feel any criticism of the film from the media likely stems from Ballard's connection to Trump. I am not a Trump supporter, but the media's absolute blind hatred of Donald Trump permeates pretty much every report. 3. Vice is awful and deserved to go bankrupt.

Thanks Aiden(s), I've honestly been kind of confused about the whole situation, but this was really fair and well-researched. You give the real operation and the movie their due credit while also pointing out their flaws, pretty cool.

I genuinely think Lore Lodge is one of the best channels on RU-vid rn. They're one of the few channels that by the end of their videos, I normally end up coming to a different conclusion than they did. They encourage you to form your own opinion and I think that's very important. Keep up the great work, y'all are doing great and I'm excited to watch the channel grow.

Thank you for taking the time to talk about this. It's exhausting and it's heavy and it's tragic but that's also why it's important. My mother used to work with a program that relocated and provided for victims of human trafficking, who have gone through the worst cruelties humanity can possibly inflict on a human being. I met some of these women, I sat next to them to watch town parades, I ate thanksgiving along side them. They are real people in the world who have been through the unimaginable and survived. They matter. They deserve freedom. And after they are freed they deserve access to services that can help them figure out how to live again. We need videos like this to not forget about them. To remind people that this issue that needs so much attention to get laws and policies to change to advocate for the victims, and to get fundraising resources to those who rescue and care for those victims. Thank you for putting in the work to be accurate and to raise awareness to the best you are able, Aidan. It means more than you know.

“Protect the children” crowd tends to be the group that harms children the most

Topics like this truly should not be a political issue I say that I am a leftie but honestly the more I look at my own party and the opposite I realize both sides are the problem and we the people can really only trust each other. Love that you guys are not scared to cover topics even when the media has tried to make it some kind of Qanon nonsense all because it mentions a little bit of religion.

I just hate that Ballard works off donations, yet lives in a $6 million home, and hasn't been on one of those missions himself.

Thank you both! You are good men doing good work, and you are appreciated 👏. I am an investigative journalist and worked on a story regarding human trafficking last year.It's an absolute horror that does not get enough attention. Thank you for all you do!

For a bunch of people that never saved a kid or lifted a finger to help trafficking victims , they sure got alot of opinions, feelins and directions. If you aint in the damn fire, dont bet talking about what the flames feel right.

Things being political is okay. You libertarians struggle so much with this notion, just say what you believe lol you’re good dawg. As a communist I thought this video was good and did right

When an hour and a 1/2 long RU-vid video makes more sense than all the media on the subject over the last, at least, 15 years.. I'm happy it's finally a direct and level headed conversation. Congrats on getting the exposure you deserve. Thank you for always doing a stellar job. I always look forward to your videos. (It's also fun to go back and catch up and see where I'm at in time by the various backgrounds, angles, hairstyles, and opening bits. It's awesome to the the creative growth and expression from you and your team. Good on you guys.) P.s. As a mother of a 7 year old. Im really happy theres people out here like you, fighting the good fight. Suffering through these stories so you can condense it down for us to digest and maybe we can all do a little extra to help. You are appreciated.

Do you have any opinions on the allegations about the man who funded this movie being arrested on trafficking charges? It's new stuff coming up, but it's one of the reasons people are bringing up more outrage about the movie.

I think you were fairly thorough with this, though it feels like you did let a bit of your opinions slip through in the way you presented facts and you did seem to miss some that I thought were very crucial. It would have been nice to mention that the justice department told ICAC that "no taskforce should partner with OUR or provide them any resources", and you didn't really go over professional criticism of OUR and their tactics. For instance, Anne Galagher in 2015 stated OUR had an "alarming lack of understanding about how sophisticated criminal trafficking networks must be approached and dismantled" and called the work of OUR "arrogant, unethical and illegal". You didn't address that OUR has been accused of using celebrities and other inexperienced people in their jump teams, and you also didn't really discuss how OUR's practice of filming their operations violates the privacy and possible safety of victims. By framing the criticisms against OUR in the sense that only inexperienced or biased journalists are criticizing them, you push a narrative, willingly or not, that there aren't any valid criticisms against them, or that no professionals in the space have any criticisms of OUR, even if you state that your wish is to just inform people. The amount of time spent criticizing VICE and the media in an article about Sound of Freedom and child trafficking is a bit weird, though I get it, I also hate what VICE has become. Further, one of the criticisms VICE gave that I thought actually mattered - that OUR made little to no effort to differentiate between willing sex workers and trafficking victims, and that they did a poor job of identifying whether their targets were actually victims or not (keep in mind OUR doesn't solely deal with children) - wasn't ever addressed, which I felt was odd. You also failed to talk about how Jim Caveizel has spoken at multiple *other* Qanon events. He certainly doesn't hold the views he has because he's been 'mislead', a statement which definitely minimizes the situation. I'd like to say that these criticisms of the video aren't meant as attacks against you or your team - I love your channel and the work you do, and I certainly think you hit the nail on the head more often than not. I also don't feel like these criticisms mean OUR is a net-negative organization. I think Sound of Freedom is a "good" movie with a few issues, and I think the criticisms of OUR aren't much different from criticisms of government programs with the same aims, but I do wish the things I talked about above were addressed in the video. I think Sound of Freedom is victim to a new political phenomenon where works are judged by the people doing the work rather than the work itself - this movie cannot exist on its own merit because the poster-child is Qanon-adjacent, at least allegedly so. This means the movie will sadly become part of the polarized political environment even when that doesn't even make sense - those on the left will feel they have to hate the movie and OUR itself because of Tim and Jim, and this would be just the same for the right if some progressive figure made a movie - it's not hard to see a world where someone like Hasan Piker makes a similar film and the right utterly lambasts it because of who Hasan is.

BTW dude - it wasn't you who politicized this shit in the first place. It was those journalists n MSM in general. All you did was push back against that. Yes, it was a lil reactionary. But do not beat yourself up for it. Maybe take it as a lesson for the future. I know I feel just fine for the way I've behaved.

In regards to child ritual sacrifice in Africa, a video series True Horror with Anthony Head has an episode on witchcraft and he talks about muti murders. It's an interesting watch.

Reminder to all of the decent people praising this movie that both the makers of the movie and Tim Ballard himself are very much supportive of right wing Qanon bs. Sure, its good that its talking abt child trafficking, an uncomfortable subject that more people need to be aware about. But thats not a very high bar. Anyone can say that child trafficking is bad and make a movie with that sentiment. That does not however mean that everyone saying that is by default a good person who deserves praise.

I think we should politicize this. If youre on the side thats against awareness then you support child trafficing simple as. You are inhuman. It blew my mind how many people hated this film on premise alone. Saying "its not really that bad". The same people will give Cuties a 10/10. Filth in the absolute.

I appreciate the research that goes into a video like this, and I hope the general awareness raised by this whole situation overshadows any harm I could imagine. I think my biggest issue with this movie is how it caters to so many Americans' ideal image of ourselves. The implication that trafficking is predominantly a third world problem that you can solve by getting a bunch of armed private citizen donors together to run around terrifying a small rural town in central America, because a psychic medium told you to. It all plays into the American ego and the idea that we can all be Rambo and solve every problem by appointing ourselves as World Police. I don't think more American PMC groups is the solution to human rights violations around the world.

You're doing a valuable job here. I appreciate your courage.

The thing that I can't let go of about the controversy that spawned from this movies advertising, is the non-insignificant portion of Qanoners trying to push a "conspiracy" about democrats not wanting us to watch the film because it brings to light that Sex Trafficking is bad. First off, everyone knows that Sex Trafficking is bad, the only people who don't, or either Sex Traffickers, or Andrew Tate fans. Second, the people insisting there's a conspiracy trying to bury the movie, voted for a guy with several rape charges levied against him, and called immigrants (the group that is portrayed to be affected by sex trafficking in the film as seen with the Guatemalan Child.) Rapists for coming over seeking citizenship or asylum. What these people fail to realize is that much like the movie, undocumented immigrants come from countries with human trafficking, and if you're trying to escape a country in that situation, waiting for upwards of 5 years for your green card, sometimes just is not an option. If you gotta get your family or kids away from a dangerous country, you do what you can to protect your loved ones. If you like this movie. Great, I'm happy you enjoyed it. I simply believe the film would've resonated better with a wider audience without the political team sports fighting attached to it.

The biggest issue for me is that OUR actually increses demand within trafficking circles, since their methods are literally to go around asking to buy children. There's also quite a few assault allegations from people who worked within OUR.

Ah, so tim saying something happened and literally everyone saying it didnt isnt lying, but vice saying the majority of agencies don't use psychics is lying because 19 out of 50 do. Got it. Totally unbiased reporting on this qanon movie that actual people who do actual work has called out as bullshit

37:45 I grew up Christian, going to Sunday school every weekend. I’m not nearly as religious as I used to be (in regards to going to church consistently) but I still appreciate being raised that way. With that said I’ve always understood when some says god spoke them, that meant the inner voice that I assume most people have that urges us to do what may be difficult be we know in the right thing, I never looked for physical signs and more listening to my inner voice being guided by being raised in a empathetic and loving way which was impart to being brought up in the church

Imo it feels pretty hypocritical that someone who follows the LDS church is so anti trafficking. I'm curious to see if he's done anything in the trafficking of women and children within Mormon communities

"This movie about child trafficking is antisemitic!" ...what an odd thing to say

When my mom was 13, she ran away from her abusive father from Indiana to her family in Kentucky. I’m truly grateful that she was able to find her way safe. I here about human trafficking a lot and I thank god everyday that she made it safe

I have to say, I'm really disappointed. I came to this channel from Wendigoon's, and most of your content has seemed pretty unbiased so far, but this video is almost egregious. It's more of a video about one singular Vice article than the movie and its controversies. You say you're trying to be unbiased and nuanced, but spend a not-insignificant chunk of the video poisoning the well on the Vice article before even addressing what it says, dismissing the falsehoods in the film as no big deal, and essentially running defense for the film the entire time. This is not an unbiased discussion on the controversy around the film, it's a thinly-veiled defense and promotion of it that feels dangerously close to implying people that don't like the film for these reasons are for child trafficking, like so many of its defenders have claimed- which, ironically, you barely acknowledge. You should have spent less research on this one singular vice article and more on QANON if that's all you have to say about it, also. I really hope you see this comment and genuinely reflect on what I've said, none of this is meant to be an attack against you as a person.

This dude goes out of his way to defend Tim Ballard, admits it in the middle of this video, and then goes back to pretending that he's trying to take an impartial look at this shitty movie.

It would help the movie if Tim and Jim didn't had Q Anon shit on their eyes. Also, in regards to that convo in the Live Chat, the middle line is essentially non-existant. Also, apparently some of the people who helped make the movie, and even promoted it, like Congressman John Rose for Tennessee, have some really shady history. I now bring the very bad news that one of the people who funded the movie, a man named Fabian Marta, was arrested for charges of felony child kidnapping, which is a Class A felony in Missouri.

I disagree about their being legit reasons to be against this movie.

A year later, this video still makes an impact and garners support for the cause. Thanks for being awesome.

Great job Aidan. 👏 We might not agree on every point you presented, but you presented it objectively and sincerely.

Apparently the guy who mainly funded sound of freedom was arrested for felony child kidnapping

If Tim bringing cameras with him is for attention and not documentation I guess the same could be said the same when Vice brings cameras with them to places

Your message is spot on, and you really need to keep doing what you do! Very well done, and your level of care and compassion is unmatched!!!

I'm surprised you didn't talk about how some of OUR's sting operations put children in danger when talking about criticisms against the org and Tim Ballard. OUR would ask traffickers for children but those traffickers would either not have enslaved children or not have enough to fill the demand so those traffickers would kidnap children to meet the demand. This is why people say OUR's tactics traumatize victims, quite a few of them would not have been victims if OUR didn't ask for children.

The funder for the movie is being investigated for child trafficking. Have fun with this info

Sending up some love for you. Being strong enough to show emotion shows the man you really are IRL. You did an excellent job with the video about such a difficult topic. Good job to both of you.

Any reason why you skipped over the controversy/conspiracy theory that involved the viewings being completely “sold out” and Quanon people saying that AMC and/or Hollywood were trying to stop people from seeing the movie? Overall good video but just wondering why you didn’t cover that?

showing one aspect of the atrocity does not diminish the other aspects, it's only the tip of the iceberg that most people don't ever think about. It's highlighting the scale of the suffering and that it's not just rare isolated incidents, and that the decent people of the world need to come together and stand against it as often the government fails or, outright allows it.

Aiden I know this is old but the main issue most people have with sound of freedom is it gets human trafficking wrong in the sense that it's portrayed as only random strangers and gang members doing it, when in reality it's usually someone the victim personally knows and trusts. The whole storyline with South America and Mexico really does play Into the conspiracy theories qanon people spout...Hello??? "Better watch out for Latinos they'll sell you into slavery" or "damn, those triads sure are crazy af". Basically, it's taking true stuff does that does happen but then pushes this weird narrative that some random person is gonna walk up to another random person and ask to take pictures of their children. Not realistic at all, not impossible but far from reality. You mentioned feeling emotional watching it and it's because you were manipulated. Propaganda works,I wonder why after this movie came out more and more people started obsessing over the border????

I'm an atheist and yet, that line when said god children aren't for sale got me. I wish I could do something in my country about this situation.

Insane that you don't even mention that the executive producer of this movie groomed his wife while being her guidance counselor in high school. If there was ever a video where you have a clear agenda, it's this one. You've never been great at being objective and unbiased, but this is next level stuff.

Absolutely everything else aside, telling your husband to keeping saving children not cause it’s the right thing to do but because if he doesn’t then he’s jeopardizing your salvation is the most disgustingly Mormon thing ever. God I fucking hate that cult.

I think some people at Vice need their hard drives examined.

I'm making this comment prior to watching- LL is going to be wholly on side for the far right conspiracist movie. Will edit, and it will say 'Edit' if I am right or wrong. EDIt One : Citing fucking Tim Pool? Not good. Not good at all. Edit Two : As a former christian, raised in it, 'god speaking to you' is ALWAYS just 'I already had my opinion made up and am using god to justify it'. My dude suffered a tragedy but didn't want to die, so he said god told him to move on and do something else. People need to stop pretending that ANY of this isn't just rank supestition. Also, changing it to make it a better film is INHERENTLY exploitative and Angel Studios and this movie should be in the bin for it. Edit Three : The Glenn Beck connection SUPER DUPER helps the case here. I promise. Final Edit : Work tommorrow so going to cut a few minutes early but my points happened throughout so- Yeah, this is as expected. A lot of covering for the also right wing christians. And all the charity in the world for them. And a confirmation of... Well, more or less every assumption I had about the movie. Both before I watched it and before I watched this video after. Also, being 'neutral' and 'not being political' isn't how reality works. Lol I also wonder if the stats you cite for 'forced marriage' and similar include mormons doing underaged marriages - which is a 'freedom' that was used by the Right to vote down a law ending child marriage. Curious.

This video was hugely disappointing. I am somewhat new to your channel, watched a few videos and was thinking about subscribing, but after this, I will not be. I was looking forward to an unbiased view of this movie, as I do feel child trafficking is important to talk about but I do not want to feed into the wallets and egos of the people behind it - something you completely glossed over. Instead of getting a balanced view of the movie and the message as well as why there is controversy behind it at all, you all but swept the last bit under the rug. Ballard and Caviezel are very involved in QAnon, especially the latter, and both of them pushing the adrenochrome nonsense. Don't think for a second this movie isn't a vehicle to lure people into following that conspiracy theory. Conservatives pushing this is kind of a big deal, and the way you hardcore ignored that is horrifying. I watched an interview with Ballard and Caviezel here on youtube right before the movie was out - well, I watched several, but it was the one that sticks in my mind - and they were slamming the "woke left" and going into how they want "pedophile laws", tying them to transgender rights and of course, immigration. Using a movie about child trafficking to further a disturbing and hateful agenda is something that needs to be discussed. This is especially true when people - like yourself, even if you ended up researching it - come to the conclusion that "if you don't support this movie you support pedophilia", another thing I've watched/heard many Conservatives say. Which, to me is rather entertaining when it's the rich people on the right and especially the church that like to abuse children, but anyway, yea, that's a disgusting take. Hearing you and seeing you say that was a huge red flag, and quite frankly I could say that of this entire video. You ignored so much because of the subject matter of the movie. What's funny but also distressing to me is the way people are acting like this film is the first look we've had at child trafficking. It's not. It's not by a longshot. It's discussed all the time in media, on the internet, in works of fiction. It is everywhere. To act like this movie is such a godsend that everything behind it and the intentions of those that promote it can be looked past is deeply troubling. Given your in-depth research, again it is so troubling to me that you just didn't talk about this at all, which shows me a lot of bias. I cannot support a movie with some pretty dark intent around it, nor can I support a youtuber who brushes it off. I did enjoy your other videos, so good luck with your future work. To other fans/right wingers, I am not looking to argue with you and will not respond to attempts.

"Based on a "true story©™" with several asterisks for you to check the fine print about what constitutes "true" in regards to this fictionalized trash about a dude with a shady past and poor credibility.

No one is saying child trafficking is good. And it should NEVER be politicized. People are just saying that the "true story" the film is based on isnt actually true. If you wanna just go watch a film, great go ahead! I have no doubt its a good watch! People are upset about the origins of the film, though, which I havent really seen before. With so many inconsistencies to Ballard's stories and accounts, all the evidence against him, some folks ain't comfortable supporting the film, and some even present good arguments that these kinds of things, and OUR itself, actually has done more harm than good and has no accountability. I'd watch the movie as a movie, just not as a way to learn about trafficking. Go out and support the survivors, my friends!

i wont bring politics into this so what you said firstly about "finally someone is talking about this" uhm this is the same plot as taken?? those movies came out in what, 2008?? the problem with movies like these, "kidnapped", a large amount of SVU episodes and crime soap operas, etc. is when people think of trafficking they picture someone tied to a radiator in a basement in mexico. the truth is, most victims dont realize theyre trafficked. most of the time theyre trafficked by someone close to them. the trafficking is basically pimping out an unwilling participant. girls are told by their boyfriend "we just need to do this a couple times and then we'll get enough to.." or young children molested since infancy dont understand what is happening to them. we need people to know that is human trafficking, those are the victims around us that we can save by noticing the small things. the abusers/traffickers start cutting them off from their loved ones, often times the victims are addicted to various substances, watch the dynamic between the two people. this movie just feels exploitative and icky. we've seen this plot a hundred times, its nothing groundbreaking or new. its a superhero movie is what it is. yes there are cases where children are being enslaved and it the worst things you can conceive, but we as individuals have zero capability of change. we need to help the child next door. hell is real and its all around us. and its a place the most precious people in this world know all too well.